Teaching philosophy and assessment of development
Little Barnyard’s teaching philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach. In this approach, the curriculum is emergent and based on the children’s interests. The teacher will observe, listen, and ask open-ended questions to find what sparks the children’s interests. The environment and next activity will then be prepared based on the children’s inquiries and needs. The children are viewed as constructivists in their own learning and are given opportunities to discover and learn new things on their own.
The teacher will monitor each child’s language, social emotional, cognitive, and physical development by using an objective assessment checklist. This assessment will guide the teacher in supporting the child to become ready for kindergarten. The teacher will communicate the child’s progress through conversations at drop-off and pick-up time, phone calls, email, and at conferences.
Families will be given the opportunity to meet with the teacher for a conference in December/January and April/May for the school-year session. The teacher and parents will discuss developmental progress, what strides their child has made, opportunities for growth, and any questions. During this time, the teacher and parents will create a plan to better support their child’s learning and development.